but I know that the 60 amp circuit, at least partially, feeds a vfd to control the spindle (motor). motors draw current at uneven rates. by limiting the input to 30 or 40 amps will limit the output to even less, resulting in a motor with substandard performance (power and torque).

When configured single phase the load is the combined amperage of the spindle and all of the control components. 60 amps is reasonable. 3phase systems, along with substantially less VFD power requirements will use a load/leg balanced distribution across the 3 power legs

Please help me understand all of this.
Are you guys saying that I can run my 5hp Cobra ATC on single phase power?

I recently sent a tech request to Michael at CAMaster saying that I was possibly moving to a different shop space with only single phase power. I asked what if anything I could do or change to make my 3phase machine run on single phase. His reply was that "CAMaster does not provide that service". That is disappointing, I would have thought they would sell me a different VFD or a phase converter or at least advise me whether or not it can be done.

So, if I understand this thread correctly, you CAN run a 5hp ATC Cobra on single phase power. Can somebody please enlighten me?